‘Dystopian’ cruise ship divides travellers — and gives a glimpse into the future

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An eight-night South Pacific cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas costs £739 per person.

It’s decent bang for your buck: a chance to explore paradise islands while delighting in activities from live shows to all-you-can-eat dining.

The one thing you won’t get at that price, though? A room with a view.

Any cruiser will know that if you opt for a basic interior cabin, you’re sacrificing the chance to get natural light in your own room, with no balcony, or even a window.

For some, it’s a fair deal: a balcony room starts at £924, so you’d need to fork out almost £200 extra just to feel the wind in your hair.

But Royal Caribbean has a compromise: a virtual balcony.

For £858, guests can book a room with a high-definition screen that ‘brings a live ocean view right to you’.

The ‘window’ even has curtains and a fake railing, with a live feed that plays whenever you wish to see it.

First introduced in 2014, the virtual balcony was considered ground-breaking at the time.

The cruise line worked with experts at MIT and Harvard to design the technology, which uses cameras stationed around the ship to bring a live-feed to the rooms.

Now, there are virtual balconies across Royal Caribbean’s fleet, and it’s included as standard on board some vessels.

Genius or suffocating?

The quirky feature has recently caught the attention of social media users, after influencer Tamara Wheeler reviewed her experience.

Her video was flooded with comments — with users divided on what they thought of it.

Some, many of them seasoned cruisers, called it a ‘genius idea’.

‘This is awesome!’ wrote on user on Facebook. ‘My last interior room I would leave the TV on all night… just to wake up to some sunlight.’

But not everyone was so keen. ‘It’s just so artificial and dystopian,’ wrote one TikToker. Others called it ‘depressing’ and ‘suffocating.’

While the concept is nothing new, people might feel strongly about it right now, as we continue to adapt to the rapid advance of AI and technology in our daily lives — from the entertainment we consume to the way we eat.

Just this week, virtual K-Pop band, PLAVE, was granted the same protection under libel laws as a real-life human group would be.

Elsewhere, Morrisons has become the latest supermarket to announce the arrival of AI trolleys, which will allow customers to scan while shopping, weigh produce, track their total in real time, and even check out.

‘A blend of real and virtual reality’

Virtual balconies are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how AI will affect how we explore the world.

We already know that futuristic tech is impacting how we move around.

For example, Dubai Airport recently rolled out their ‘Red Carpet Corridor’ — a kind of passport tunnel that uses AI, biometric cameras and flight data to recognise passengers, or any suspicious luggage.

It means travellers won’t need to show a passport or boarding pass, and can clear security process in as little as six seconds.

Dimitrios Buhalis, Professor in Tourism and Technology at Bournemouth University, says we’re likely to see a ‘mixed reality’ as technology develops.

‘It’s a blend of real and virtual reality,’ he tells Metro. ‘The virtual will complement the physical experience.

‘For example, destinations, hotel chains and cruise lines can use a virtual reality experience in advance of purchase, to give the customer more information and more choice.

‘There are also tours, which might use AI to show, for example, what the Acropolis in Greece really looked like thousands of years ago.

‘The downside is that AI isn’t always accurate.’

But can a virtual experience ever replace the authentic?

‘For some people, it will stimulate an interest and intention to visit a certain place. The more photo-realistic it becomes, the more motivated a traveller will be to go. We’ll do more virtual travel, before we go to a place in real life,’ says Professor Dimitrios.

He adds: ‘For those that can’t travel – and there are many different reasons for this, from a phobia of flying, money, caring responsibilities – these people will travel virtually rather than physically.’

Professor Dimitrios adds that the consumer will be ‘trained’ to expect more information in advance of going away.

‘We’ll be offered better tools to compare and make choices. Groups of travellers will be able to use the information to create itineraries to suit preferences. Overall, AI will help us make more informed decisions when it comes to seeing the world.’

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